Characterization of HPV-16 E6/E7 transcription in CaSki cells by quantitative PCR

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with specific benign and malignant lesions of the epithelial and mucosal surfaces. Of the sexually transmitted types, HPV type 16 (HPV-16) is the most commonly associated with carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Expression of the E6/E7 open reading frame of the viral genome is considered critical in the development of neoplasia. Using the CaSki cervical carcinoma cell line as a model system, we have adapted the polymerase chain reaction to quantify the transcripts expressed from this region. It was found that 97.1% of the total spliced transcript is E6*I, which putatively encodes the E7 oncoprotein, while E6*II comprises 2.9% of spliced product. The ratio of E6*I to E6*II expression may be an important parameter in evaluating the disease risk associated with HPV-16 infection.